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(...) Possibly because, while it's entertaining, it's also fairly straightforward farce with uneven characterization and plot. Don't get me wrong--I've read it all, and I quite enjoy it, but it lacks, to me, much of the strength of these other (...) (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) I do think it's canonical farce, up there with Harvard Lampoon's "Bored of the Rings" and Gaimen/Pratchett's "Good Omens." -- jthompson@esker.com "Float on a river, forever and ever, Emily" (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) it (...) Ugh! I found "Bored" to be perfectly dreadful! As for Pratchett, he differs from Adams, and always has, in that Pratchett's work has been satire without being baggy-pants farce in line with the stereotypical (as commonly held by some (...) (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) I can't manage to slog my way through most of the Lampoon stuff. I got about three pages farther into "Bored" than I did into "Doon" Good Omens, on the other hand, is one of my all-time favorite books. "A demon who did not so much fall as (...) (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) A personal favorite here, as well, but it suffers from Pratchett's formerly widespread problem of creating a problem too big to solve by the end of the book. That is, the crisis escalates and escalates, then in the course of two paragraphs he (...) (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) I disagree. Douglas Adams is more a satirist. His books use incredible and unbelievable situations to bring to light many human characteristics, mainly greed and waste. Take his stuff in the same view as Mark Twain. Cheers, - jsproat (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Or Swift. "A Modest Proposal" is the best piece of satire I've ever read. James (URL) (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Well, Swift is widely regarded as the all-time best satirist, so he's a little over-the-top for this discussion! 8^) In 1992 I saw Adams speak in Austin, and he was witty, intelligent, and engaging. At about that time his book "Last Chance to (...) (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Let's not forget the Dirk Gently books! (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Chance." (...) Embarrassingly, I haven't read those yet... Dave! (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) I haven't seen this one anywhere. ...still ambivilant about ordering via amazon.com, so I'm scouring the local used-book stores... I had the impression that it was non-fiction, though. Perhaps a coffee-table picture book or some such. (...) (...) (25 years ago, 17-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) That was _satire_? Oh, the embarassment. Jasper (25 years ago, 18-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Oh, let's do. (25 years ago, 18-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) :) You don't like them? The second one is so-so, but the first one is awesome. But it's not particularly science fiction, so it probably doesn't belong in this discussion anyway. (25 years ago, 18-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Well, we read it aloud, and it was enjoyable that way, in a group. I might not have enjoyed it as a solo read. (...) I'm trying to think of conventional sci fi that's laugh-out-loud-worthy. Peter David writes excellent laugh-worthy stuff (...) (25 years ago, 18-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Oh no? How is it *not* science fiction? Cheers, - jsproat (25 years ago, 20-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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| | Re: Science Fiction (was Re: Transit Time to Mars)
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(...) Oh, let's not go there. (25 years ago, 20-Dec-99, to lugnet.off-topic.geek)
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